


The Hawk and the Wolf

by extremelyperturbed



Category: Hannibal (TV), Ladyhawke (1985)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Medieval, Drama & Romance, M/M, Major Character, Minor Character Death, Non-Graphic Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-02
Updated: 2015-05-07
Packaged: 2018-03-10 04:06:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,812
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3276065
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/extremelyperturbed/pseuds/extremelyperturbed
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is a mashup of the movie Ladyhawke & Hannibal the series.  Freddie Lounds is an escapee from the prisons of Bishop Lecter only to find herself reluctantly helping a cursed pair, a knight in shining black armor and the lord he serves.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

It took a full minute for the prison guard to realize that the prisoner had escaped. He started screaming, “The Rat! The Rat has escaped.”

The prisoner known as The Rat swam through the sewers that ran underneath the prison and the rest of the city. It had taken Freddie several weeks to save enough grease from her meals to rub on her body and to lose enough weight to squeeze through the waste hole in the middle of her cell. There was no way that she was going to be executed for trying to steal a tiara from Lady Komeda. 

She waded neck deep in the soiled water. She was sure that the soldiers could not and would not go looking down here to get her. They probably assumed she died from the fumes from the shit from her fellow prisoners. She had also taken time to plug her nose with wax from a candle she had bought from a guard with certain favors. The only thing mitigating the smell was that an underground river helped circulate the sewage away from the city. 

It felt like she had been down there for hours when she saw a light in the sewer that came shining down. She saw a grate, pushed it up a few inches to take a peek and realized that it was in a corner of the Grand Cathedral of the Bishop Lecter of Aguila. There was no way she could escape from there. Disappointed, she put the grate back down and continued wading. 

She finally found a route that led to an open area outside the city. She was tired but knew that if she wanted to avoid being brought back for hanging, she’d have to continue running. A rat scurries and lives, she thought. 

After washing herself in a cleaner river and stealing a peasant’s dress, she continued her travels. She wrapped her hair in a cloth since it was so distinctive in its shade and she did not have the materials at hand to change its hue. Despite the fact that a city would be more likely to have soldiers looking for her, she needed to get more money to get further away and she couldn’t do it without finding pockets that actually had something to pick.

***  
Picking a few pockets of merchants who would not immediately miss their purse made Freddie smile with relief. For the rest of the week, she would be sleeping in a soft bed and not on cobblestone or a filthy alley. She even had enough to spare to go have a beer and a hot dinner at a local pub. She licked her lips. Beer, she thought, I have so missed you.

Getting here had taken her a month’s worth of travel. While the city was nowhere as big as the capital, it was big enough that her thefts would not be easily traced to a newcomer like it would be at a remote village. I won’t stay long, she thought as she walked into the pub and sat down. Just enough to save up to buy passage to another kingdom. 

While eating a roll of bread and taking sips of beer, she heard men arguing about who had done the most improbable act of bravery. She turned to the bartender, “What are they doing?”

“They’re trying to beat each other when it comes to boasts. The one who comes up with the most outrageous boasts wins that pile of money,” said the bartender, pointing to the pile of silver coins on the table.

“I can beat them easily,” she said.

The bartender smiled. “These are ruffians of the worst sort. What could you boast about?”

Freddie turned to the men who were now listening to her. “I escaped from the dungeons of the Bishop of Aquila.”

“Bullshit!” said one of the men laughing. “How did you do it?”

“I swam through the bowels of the sewers beneath the city,” she said. “I escaped the inescapable, now give me the pile of coins.”

“I don’t believe it,” said the man.

“I do.”

Freddie turned around and saw one of the Bishop’s guards standing at the doorway. “Mother of God,” she spat before sweeping the coins into her bag and running for the back where it turned out a couple other guards were waiting for her. 

She was about to scream when she saw a man in black armor step between her and the guards.  
***  
“The Rat has escaped, Bishop.” 

Bishop Hannibal of Aguila looked up from his desk. “Captain Tier, I thought you said that you had her tracked down to a port city. I was also led to believe that nobody could escape the prison. Why are you here instead of looking for her?” 

The Captain of the Guard Randall Tier kneeled before the Bishop. “I only came back to inform you that Matthew Brown, the former Captain of the Guards, is back.”

“That means that Will Graham must be nearby,” said the Bishop.

“I believe so. Also, Matthew is the one who helped the Rat escape.”

Hannibal narrowed his eyes. “What could he want with the Rat?”

“I do not know. What are your orders, my lord?”

“Kill both Matthew and the Rat but Will must be brought back alive and well.”

“That will be difficult.”

“I can always choose another Captain of the Guards.”

“I will go, my lord.”


	2. Chapter 2

“I can’t say I exactly trust that farmer,” said Freddie as she and her new friend stepped into the barn that the farmer had let them stay for the night in exchange for a few copper coins. She had not lived as long as she had by ignoring her instincts. “We could’ve gone somewhere a bit safer if we could’ve ridden a bit longer.”

“It was getting too dark to be on the road,” he said. “I prefer having a sure place to stay.”

“You didn’t tell me your name.”

“It’s Matthew Brown,” he said.

“I’m Freddie Lounds,” she said. “Look, I’m grateful and all but other than a small bag of coins which I need for travel expenses, I don’t have much to show my appreciation.” She decided to curb her usually rude tongue, considering he had easily dispatched the two guards and had been recognized as a former Captain of theirs before grabbing her and throwing her in front of his saddle before they rode off. 

“You can show your gratitude later. Right now, however, I plan to go to sleep. You can sleep at the other end. Don’t wake me, you might end up with a knife between your ribs.”

Just lovely, thought Freddie. I’ll wait until he’s fast asleep then sneak away. If he thinks I will just cook and clean for him, he’s utterly deluded. I’ll just wait until this candle burns half way to make sure he’s asleep enough.

She walked out of the barn, only to see the farmer come towards her with a pitchfork. “Ah, hello, I was just going to the well for a drink of water,” she said, retreating from him slowly. She picked up the pace when the man said nothing and kept walking towards her. 

She began running away only to hear the farmer scream. She turned to see the farmer being mauled by a giant black wolf. Terrified, she ran back into the barn and yelled, “Matthew! Matthew! There’s a wolf . . . A . . .” Where the hell is he? Freddie thought.

“It’s all right.”

She turned to see a man standing in the doorway of the barn. He was the same height as Matthew but had curly brown hair, blue eyes and finer features. The man knelt on the floor of the barn and the wolf padded towards the man as if he was the most docile pet. The man embraced the wolf and pet his head with obvious affection while the wolf licked the side of his face with abandon.

“Is he yours?” said Freddie, who couldn’t believe her eyes.

“In a manner of speaking, yes. He’s not going to harm you.”

“Who are you?”

“Go to sleep.” 

***  
“Are you not up yet?” 

Freddie opened one eye at Matthew, who was already dressed. “I had the worst night ever while you slept like a rock!” she said as she opened both eyes and sat up.

“Why do you say that?”

“Nothing . . . Except that the farmer tried to kill me, probably for the contents of my purse. Then a big wolf attacked him and a strange man came to the barn.”

“A strange man?”

Freddie frowned at the fire that suddenly appeared in the man’s eyes. “Yes, he was about your height with blue eyes and curly brown hair. The wolf acted as if he was his master and he was not afraid to hug and pet him.”

“Did he say anything?”

“Not much. I asked him if the wolf was his and he said yes. Then he said that he wasn’t going to harm me and that I should go to sleep. You are seriously going to get us killed if you can keep your eyes closed through all that.”

“Many pardons,” said Matthew, looking a little subdued. “Did he tell you his name?”

“No, I was too flustered to ask. Now, let us go into the farmer’s house and see if there’s anything we can take with us. Worst night’s hospitality ever!”

***  
Sitting at his desk, Hannibal looked at the message that Tier had sent him. Freddie Lounds was traveling with Matthew Brown. Of course, he thought. He had a small inkling of why Matthew had bothered to rescue the Rat. 

He silently cursed the fact that his position kept him from traveling himself to search for those two. As much pride as he took in being superior to everyone around him, it made it harder for him to tolerate the rank incompetence in the people who served him. He was going to have to change tactics to get what he wanted.

He turned to a guard and said, “I want you to get me Abel Gideon.”

***  
“So, you were going to tell me what you want with me,” said Freddie as they had lunch after spending most of the morning riding. Matthew had used his crossbow to get them rabbit for their meal.

“You see this sword?” said Matthew as he held up his fine blade.

“Yes,” said Freddie after she swallowed a mouthful of meat.

“I plan to kill someone.”

“Who?”

“Bishop Hannibal Lecter.”

“Oh . . . Good luck with that.”

“I need you to help me get into the city.”

“Not on my mother’s life!” spat Freddie. 

“You’re the only person who has ever escaped his prison.”

“So, what? I waded through tons of muck underground until I found a way out. I was just lucky. I don’t see how that helps you.”

“The sewers that run underneath the city connect to many other places inside the city, even the Bishop’s castle or the church. And you’re a thief, you know how to get in and out of places. For me, you’re a sign from God.”

“God has not spoken to me and has never spoken to me. I have no intention of going back to dance at the end of a rope. You saved me and I am willing to give you a good share of the money in my bag to show my gratitude but no, a thousand times no.”

“Do you not hate the Bishop?”

“My love for my life outweighs any hatred I have for the Bishop. You should feel the same.” Freddie got up and was about to walk off when a crossbow’s bolt hit the tree next to her head. 

Freddie turned around and said, “So, more wood for the fire.”

“Yes, please.”


	3. Chapter 3

“This really isn’t necessary,” said Freddie as she saw him walk towards her with a rope in one hand and a crossbow in the other. 

“You’re the one who made it so,” Matthew chided. 

Freddie turned to run but a hawk flew towards her and batted her face with its wings, making her stop and shriek. 

“Thank you,” said Matthew to the hawk as he grabbed Freddie and tied her hands behind her back. He threw her over his shoulder, climbed a nearby tree and tied her so she was tied to the trunk while sitting on a tree limb. He climbed down, put on a thick leather glove, held out his arm and the hawk perched on his gloved hand. He gently pet the hawk on its head.

“You treat that thing better than you treat me.”

“I have more reason to,” he said before he turned to go.

“Where are you going? You can’t leave me out here at night! Suppose one of the Bishop‘s guards finds me.” 

“You’ll be perfectly safe.” Matthew held up a little pouch with his other hand. “I don’t think you’re going to get too far without your savings.”

“Asshole!” she yelled as he walked off out of sight. 

Hours later, she slumped, tired of struggling against her bonds but unwilling to completely give up. If I ever see that bird again, I’m going to put it on a spit and cook it over a fire!

She was contemplating dislocating one of her thumbs when she saw the man she saw the other night, walking beneath the tree. “Hey!”

The man looked up but did not seem surprised. 

She smiled her sweetest smile and said, “Can you come up and untie me? The Bishop’s guards did this to me. Since I escaped from his prison, he wants to make a very special example of me by having me burned to death and have my flaming corpse wheeled around the city as an example for those who would dare flout his laws.” It wasn’t much of an exaggeration when it came to the Bishop‘s punishments. The Bishop was rather imaginative when spiteful and she had really embarrassed him. 

“I have it on very good authority that you are tied up there for very good reason.”

“Whoever told you that is a lying liar who lies.”

“Is that right? If the Bishop’s guards had tied you up, where is the guard who’s supposed to be guarding you?”

“They’re all spending the night at the local brothel.”

The man smiled while listening to her futile lies and after a while, she fell asleep, defeated. 

***  
The morning after was uneventful, as was much of the afternoon. “I hope you don’t tie me up again,” said Freddie as she walked next to Matthew's horse.

“Are you saying you won’t try to run away again? I have to warn you that I know when someone is lying.”

“Hmmph. It’s not like I could escape, not with your friend watching over me at night. Where is he, anyway?”

“Even now he is watching over us and that’s all I’ll say,” said Matthew.

“Even if you do kill the Bishop, you’ll end up with your head on a pike.”

“That’s fine with me.”

“Does your friend agree with you?”

“He does not but since he won’t be the one to die, I don’t care.”

“Are we staying out in the middle of nowhere again? You didn‘t even give me a blanket last night!”

“We’re riding towards a castle of someone who owes me a great deal, a debt he can never repay. If I know him, he‘ll have wine to spare for the likes of you.”

“About time!”

And that is when they were ambushed.


	4. Chapter 4

“Sir! Sir!” said Freddie as she banged on the castle door with one hand, holding the wounded bird with an arrow through its wing in the crook of her other arm. 

“Who is making that racket?” 

Freddie look up to see a dark-haired man with a scowl on his face looking down from a window several stories up. “I’ve got a bird for you.”

“Quail or pheasant? I’ll take chicken as well,” said the man.

“No, you idiot. It’s a hawk owned by Matthew Brown. He said you could fix it.” Freddie truly regretted coming here. She had only come because she had just seen Matthew kill five armed men on horses and he had sworn that if she did not hurry and ride to the castle, he would concentrate on killing her instead of the Bishop. I swear I don’t know why he insisted I ride instead of him, especially when it's getting dark, she thought. I can barely control that horse of his.

The man‘s face turned ashen. “It is? I’ll be right there.”

After a few moments, the door opened. “Come in. Hurry!”

Freddie walked in. “I did tell him that it wouldn’t be much use and that it would be better to . . . Tell him in a way so he won‘t blame me if . . .”

“Be quiet,” said the man. “Put the hawk on the table.”

Freddie did so. The man seems to know Matthew, she thought. Thus he probably knows what will happen if he fails. 

The man began making poultice out of various herbs he pulled out of a little bag he had around his waist. As he ground them with a mortar and pestle that was on the table, he said, “Who are you and how do you come to know him?”

“I am Freddie Lounds, an escapee from the dungeons of Bishop Lecter,” said Freddie, pausing slightly for the man to express some kind of awe. When he merely kept grinding the poultice, she said, “Matthew Brown is no friend of mine. He kidnapped me with some mad scheme to kill the Bishop!”

The man looked up and said, “Oh, no, he mustn’t do that!”

“That’s what I told him, Mister . . . I don’t know your name.”

“I suppose he wouldn’t have told you. He rather hates me. I am Frederick Chilton, a former priest who served under the Bishop.”

“What are you doing in the middle of nowhere?”

“Penance.”

Freddie turned to the window upon noticing the light was growing dimmer and saw that the sun was going down. 

Chilton lit a fire in the fireplace so it would brighten the room and so he could heat some water. “I think you should leave the room.”

“Maybe I could help. Maybe I could . . .”

Freddie was surprised to hear a moan come from the table. She turned and saw not an injured hawk but a naked man with an arrow in his shoulder. “What is this?” she said.

“It’s none of your business,” snapped Chilton.

“I deserve to know!” she said as she was pushed out of the room. Once outside, she thought to herself, This stinks of black magic and curses, two thing I don’t want to get mixed up with. She would have liked to have left right then but she had no appetite for wandering about in the dark and then being caught by the Bishop’s men in the morning or being cut to pieces by a wrathful Matthew.

She heard a cry from the room and then a wolf’s howl outside the castle walls. An hour later, Chilton walked out of the room. “He’s asleep,” Chilton said. “Interested in some food and wine?”

“Absolutely.”

***

The fare was simple. A vegetable bean soup flavored with bits of salted pork and herbs poured over chunks of bread filled each of their bowls. Chilton was generous with his red wine, which made things more palatable. 

“Since the hawk turned into a man, can I guess that a man can turn into a wolf?” said Freddie. She saw by his expression that she had hit the bulls-eye.

Chilton sighed. “Since you’ve already guessed part of it, I suppose I can tell you the rest. Matthew Brown is a former Captain of the Guards but now a wanted man. The man in the other room is Lord Will Graham of Wolf Trap. By night, Will is a man but by day he is a bird.”

“And the time Matthew is a wolf is the opposite of Will’s. Why is that?”

“It’s a long story.”

“I live for stories as long as they’re interesting. Tell me.”

“Once there was a young son of a poor lord, who was scarcely much richer than the peasants he ruled. The lord seeking his fortune decided to go off to war only to die and leave his son an orphan. The son could do nothing to make his small corner of the kingdom a better place so after a great deal of urging from his advisers, he went to the court of the Bishop.

“Part of his hope was to woo a spouse with some property and wealth or to gain the favor of a patron. He had a friend at court who gave him advice about which ladies were open to marriage and which were unsuitable. However, he had instantly gained the attention of two men who were at court at the time. One, as you know, was Matthew Brown. The other was Bishop Lecter.

“It was an open secret that the Bishop often indulged himself with ladies of the court, many of whom vied to be his mistress since he often gifted them with jewelry and gold. Even a few lords sought his attentions. However, when he saw Will Graham, he was filled with a dark obsession that came as close to love as that man could ever feel. He wooed the man with private dinners, poetry, invitations to performances, presents of bejeweled cloth . . . At first, Will had thought these to be mere tokens of an extravagant friendship. Once Will understood the true nature of this, he began returning boxes and letters unopened. He had hoped that the Bishop would tire of him and turn his attention to a more willing target. Not only did he find it shameful for a Bishop to act this way but he had no love in his heart for him because . . .”

“He was already in love with Matthew,” said Freddie.

“Not quite. At first, Will feared that as Matthew was employed by the Bishop, that he was merely part of an intricate snare to get him near the Bishop again. However, after several meetings, Will finally realized that the only person whose sake Matthew was courting him for was his own. As tricky as the Bishop could be, he doubted that the Bishop would let anybody touch him as much and as liberally as Matthew was doing.”

“How do you know all this?” said Freddie. 

“I was their confessor. They told me everything.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Admittedly, Freddie isn't as cuddly as Matthew Broderick's character in the movie but then it wouldn't be Freddie if she's too cuddly. 
> 
> Yes, I like Fred-squared.


	5. Chapter 5

“What happened?”

“Will could not find a wife nor a patron because the Bishop had used his power to scare off anybody who would be either. Will decided that he was going to back to Wolf Trap with the pretext it would be a visit but then stay there once he was away from court. Once the Bishop had found a new paramour, Matthew would quit the guard and go out of the country then would just happen to visit his old friend upon his return and decide to stay. Unfortunately, both men had underestimated just how obsessed the Bishop was with Will when they came up with this plan.”

“Upon Will requesting leave of the court, the Bishop insisted that Will must return to the court after his visit and that the visit could only be for two weeks at most. He sent Will with Matthew, not knowing that they were together. He had thought Matthew would be sure to drag Will back at the end of the visit.

“However, Matthew told Will that they must flee once they were away from the city. There was no point in going back to Wolf Trap. So they rode instead to the border of the neighboring kingdom.

Freddie took a sip of wine. “What went wrong?”

“They didn’t anticipate how paranoid the Bishop was. While they were riding away, the Bishop invited me to dinner. He bid me drink as much wine as I could. There were also some odd flowers in the salad he served me. I tried to eat around them but he warned me that was rude. It was only later that I found out that they had certain special properties. He started asking me question and I found myself unable to dissemble or refuse to answer. He asked me if there was someone at Wolf Trap that Will was planning on marrying, a childhood sweetheart or an old flame that had blazed anew. I couldn’t help myself, I told him that he was more likely to run off with the guard he was traveling with.”

“He must have been furious!” said Freddie.

“He stabbed the table with his knife and immediately ordered the rest of his guards to track down the fleeing pair. Of course, the guards went to Wolf Trap first and that cost them precious time in dragging them back. Knowing that sending his guards over the border would risk a nasty diplomatic incident, he did the one thing he was sworn not to do.

“What?”

“He called upon the devil himself. He cast a curse where Will would be a hawk during the day and a man at night while Matthew would be a wolf at night and a man during the day. Even together, they would never be together. He put in a few other conditions to the curse. Will and only Will could free himself from the curse if he killed Matthew and returned to the Bishop. If Will were to die or kill himself out of despair, Matthew would be doomed to remain a wolf for the rest of his life. 

“Diabolical,” said Freddie. 

“And now it appears that they’d prefer death to living any longer like this,” said Chilton. “But I had a vision the night before that will lift the curse and leave the Bishop nothing for his damnation and give me my redemption.”  
***  
Hannibal had looked through the mountain of dead wolves Gideon had brought him. “No, none of them are the wolf I want.” In his heart, he knew that Matthew was not dead. If Matthew was dead, he would have known somehow and Will would have been sure to come back to take revenge. 

“I believe I have killed almost every single wolf in the kingdom,” sighed Gideon. “Please tell me which one in particular you want me to kill.”

“The wolf will be accompanying a man with dark curls and beautiful blue eyes. He is like one of the Greek gods that painters bring to life with their brush strokes. You are not to lay a finger on that man no matter how hard he fights to protect the wolf. Find the man, you’ll find the wolf that loves him. His name is . . . Will Graham.”

***  
It was shortly before the dawn when Freddie went into Will’s room. “How are you?” said Freddie.

“I’m better,” said Will. 

“Chilton told me about you two,” said Freddie.

“I see. At least I don’t have to figure out a way to explain things.”

“I wish . . .”

“Wish what?”

“I wish that I hadn’t gotten Matthew caught up in this. Then I would be the only one affected by the curse. He deserves so much better.”

“Matthew . . . He threatened me with death if I didn’t ride here and get Chilton to save you.”

“I’m sorry about that. His loyalty to me . . . makes him do reckless things.”

“Anyway, Chilton said he has a way of reversing the curse.”

“How?” 

“He said in a week’s time, there would come a time where there would be neither day nor night and you would both be human. During that time, if the Bishop were to see this, his power over you would be broken.”

“Sounds like a dream caused by too much red wine.”

“It doesn’t sound crazier than going back to the city and getting killed trying to snuff the Bishop,” said Freddie.

“Perhaps,” said Will, thinking about it. “Maybe . . . If there‘s a way we can both live as people, I am for it.” Will closed his eyes and fell back on the bed.

Freddie left the room and saw Chilton walking down the hall, yawning. Chilton saw her and said, “I’ve got some gruel cooking over the fire. Want some?”

“Sure. Aren’t you getting him any?”

Chilton opened the door and there was a hawk sleeping on top of the table. “No point.”

***  
After they had finished their breakfast, there was a knock on the castle’s door. Chilton opened it to see Matthew standing there. “How is he?”

“See for yourself,” said Chilton as he led Matthew to the room. Matthew smiled as the hawk flapped its wings and landed on Matthew’s hand. “There, there,” said Matthew.

“I saw him. I mean in human form,” said Freddie.

“Yes, I suppose it couldn’t be helped,” said Matthew. “I suppose Chilton told you why.”

“He did,” said Freddie. “I talked to Will.”

“What did he say?”

“He said that he wished that you hadn’t gotten caught up in this, that he was the only bearing the brunt of the curse.”

Matthew looked almost teary. “That sound like Will, all right.” 

“Matthew, I know how to reverse the curse,” said Chilton. “A week from now, there will be a day without a night, a night without a day where both of you will be human for a brief time. If you stood together before the Bishop, his power over you both would be gone.”

“I appreciate you saving Will’s life but spouting gibberish just makes me ill-tempered,” said Matthew.

“Killing the Bishop won’t kill the curse!” said Chilton.

“Did God tell you this?”

“He did!”

Matthew walked out of the castle. 

“You must listen to me!” cried Chilton as he ran after him. Freddie followed them both. 

“Shut up or I will kill you,” said Matthew as he got on his horse. Matthew then turned to Freddie. “You helped save Will. All I can do to reward you is setting you free from my quest.”

“I’ll stick around.”

“I thought you hated me.”

“I’m not doing it for you.”


	6. Chapter 6

“Freddie?” said Will as he sat on top of the bed in the room Freddie had rented from the inn. 

“Yes?” said Freddie. 

“Why are we at an inn?”

“Because I’m tired of camping and sleeping in the wet and the cold. I want a nice bed, hot food I don’t have to cook for myself and some beer.”

“It’s safer in the woods.”

“They’re looking for a man with a hawk or a thief by herself. They’re not looking for a married couple on a pilgrimage to cure the wife's infertility.” Freddie pulled a kerchief that had been hiding her hair. It was now a dull brown. 

“What did you do to your hair?”

“I know a few tricks. I’m not too happy about it but they’re looking for a single redhead, not a married brunette. I’ve already spent the money to rent this room. We might as well stay.”

“You would make a terrible soldier.”

“I have no desire to be one. Stupidity, discomfort and bravery means a short, unpleasant life. I knew a lot of soldiers in that prison. I’m the one who got out.”

“Point taken.”

“Good.”

“I’m surprised you haven’t tried to run away again.”

Freddie sighed. “I have no love for the Bishop and until he’s dead, my only chance for freedom is to live in exile, something that appears unlikely due to how many soldiers he has set between me and any border to another kingdom. If your friend can kill him, then I’m willing to help him. Also, there’s someone I’d like to help.”

At that moment, there was a knock on the door. Freddie went to the door and opened it to reveal Chilton, holding a staff. 

“Father Chilton?” said Will.

Freddie said, “It’s about time you got here. You have no idea how much I had to pretend that my time of the month was really bothering me to slow Matthew down enough so you wouldn’t lose our trail!”

“It’s very well for you to talk. He has that blasted horse. I only have a mule dragging a cart!” said Chilton after he shut the door behind him.

“Why are you here?” said Will.

“Because Matthew refused to believe me when I told him how to reverse the curse,” said Chilton. “I even have a way of sneaking him into the city. I know he’s going there because the Bishop has a ceremony on the same Sunday every year in the cathedral. It’s the same day that the curse can be reversed.”

“If I could just talk to him, I could convince him.”

“I think he could be convinced if he was in a cage.”

Will narrowed his eyes. “You want me to help trap him.”

“Yes,” said Chilton.

“When the sun rises, he will think I was selling him out to the Bishop,” said Will. 

Chilton shook his head. “If we wanted to sell him out, we’d kill him in wolf form and he knows that. Please help us help you two.”

Will reluctantly nodded. “I . . . I will try.”

***  
As Freddie and Chilton followed Will into the nearby woods in their search for Matthew, Chilton said, “Thanks for helping me.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Why are you helping me?”

“You need all the help you can get. Maybe I could win points with that God who talks to you? Maybe finally things will start going my way.”

“I don’t think it works like that.”

“Damn.”

“Please tell me that’s not the only reason you decided to help.”

“I’m curious.”

“Curious?”

“I told you I like stories, didn’t I? Now I’m curious how their story is going to turn out. I don’t know what it’s like to be in love like those two. Nobody has loved me enough to do so something for me without expecting something in return. Can they defeat someone like the Bishop? That interests me.”

Will cried out as if in pain. They ran to where he was and looked down to see a wolf killed by an iron trap. “It’s not him,” said Will. “But we need to find him.”

They had to walk slower due to fear of accidentally getting their leg trapped in one of those devices. “Matthew!” cried Will. “Matthew!”

They all heard a wolf howl. Will sighed in relief, only to be horrified when a large bearded man stepped out of the shadows.

“Thank you for leading me to him,” the man said. 

“It’s Gideon,” cried Chilton. “The Bishop’s personal hunter and trapper!” 

Will pulled out Matthew’s sword. “You get the hell out of here.”

“I just need your pet. I will kill your friends if you get in my way.”

Will lunged at Gideon with his sword, which Gideon blocked with his machete. Chilton and Freddie stepped back, knowing that their “help” would more likely make Will lose.

Distracted by fighting Will, Gideon did not notice that the wolf was slowly creeping up on him. The wolf jumped on Gideon’s back and began savaging his neck. Will swung and sliced off the hand holding the machete, causing Gideon to scream. Gideon shook the wolf off and ran. The wolf chased Gideon, who fled for his life, while holding the stump where his hand used to be. A few moments later, Gideon tripped and one of his thighs fell into one of the traps he set himself, causing him to scream again before he passed out from loss of blood.

The wolf made his way back to Will and whimpered in concern. Will turned to Freddie and Chilton. “I can’t betray him, not even as a wolf. He’s not safe out here. We need to get him inside.”

“But how about our plan?” said Chilton.

“I can make him understand. Just leave it to me.”

***  
Matthew felt the final stages of his body and mind rearranging themselves into human form. He realized that he was inside a room, on top of a bed. He looked to see Will standing in the darkened corner of the room, holding a piece of paper. “Will? Will?”

“Please do as Chilton asks . . .”

Matthew leaped out of bed to reach Will only for Will’s robe to fall to the floor and leaving a hawk in its place. Tears trailed down Matthew’s face as he read the letter Will had left for him. 

He walked over to Freddie and Chilton, who had been sleeping next to the bed. They had been awakened by Matthew‘s initial cry and had been watching what went down. “Freddie? Chilton?”

“Yes?” said Chilton warily, grabbing his staff in case he was going to be beaten.

“I’ll do as you say but only because he wishes it.”

***  
“Halt!” said the guard at the city’s gate. It was well after sunset and while fewer people came, it was harder to screen out those who should not come in. 

Chilton stopped his cart that was drawn by Goliath. He mentally thanked his clever carpenter friend for creating hidden compartments in the cart he had used for other purposes and he could now use to smuggle in Matthew‘s sword and armor. “How can I help you, good sir?”

“Who’s sitting next to you?”

“He’s my nephew. He helped me catch that thing in the back.”

The guard threw back the covering on the cage on the cart and saw a wolf. “What is this?”

“It is a gift for the Bishop. I‘m one of the hunters who work for Gideon.”

“Yes, I heard he’s been pushing for wolves to be exterminated. I‘ve seen dozens of dead carcasses come in but this one is still alive.” The soldier looked as if he wanted to stab the wolf.

“This is one in particular that the Bishop wanted to kill himself. If you want to take that pleasure away from him, I‘m sure he‘ll forgive you.”

The soldier put his sword away. “Go in.”


	7. Chapter 7

Hannibal let his servants dress him in his ceremonial robes and his hat. He picked up his metal staff. He felt strangely full of anticipation. It was not the yearly ceremony; that bored him to tears. No, what excited him was that the demon he had formed a pact with told him that today was the last day the curse could ever be lifted by any means. Also, Matthew was coming to kill him. He was prepared for him, though. He planned to have Randall Tier and his men guard him in the church. He had hoped that Will would have killed Matthew by now to free himself but he would be satisfied with Will knowing that his one remaining champion was vanquished and that all he could do was negotiate the terms of surrender.

He turned to his servants. “When I come back, I want to have a dinner prepared for two.”

The servants bowed. His chief servant said, “Sir, what shall I make?”

Hannibal smiled. “Preferably a dish involving fish.”

***

Freddie scowled as she trudged through the drains back to where she remembered the light from the Cathedral had been. It smells worse than I remember, she thought. She briefly felt afraid that she had gotten lost only to feel relief when she saw the sunshine coming down from above. However, she heard the sound of the Cathedral doors opening, the sound of a crowd walking in and saw someone’s boots standing right on top of the grate. Crap, she thought. 

***

After he finished putting on his armor, Matthew looked at Chilton holding the hawk on his hand with a hood over the bird's eyes to keep him calm. “You said that today, God would make the both of us human. Will is still a hawk.”

“The day is not yet over.”

“When has God ever done anything? It is by man’s own efforts that anything happens. At least, this wasn’t a scheme you cooked up to get my head in a basket as a present to the Bishop. I have to ask you a favor. If I fail to kill him, I want you to kill Will as he is now.”

“What?”

Matthew showed Chilton the letter Will had written him. “It’s what Will wants. If Will doesn’t return to the Bishop, he’ll still be vulnerable as a hawk during the day and a man during the night. I won’t be around to keep him away from him and neither you nor Freddie can fight off his men. If the bells ring, that means that ceremony is finished and the Bishop is still alive.” Matthew handed Chilton a small dagger. “Please.”

Chilton reluctantly nodded.

“If it means anything, I forgive you,” said Matthew before getting on his horse. “I’m just sorry that you were wrong.”

***  
Freddie took a stick and began poking the soles of the feet above her. Move, move, she thought.

“Ughh!” said the priest standing above her. 

“What’s wrong?” said someone off to the side.

“There are rats down there. Let’s go somewhere else.”

“Disgusting!”

Freddie sighed. She waited a little while before pushing the grate out then climbing out of there and putting the grate back on. She had asked for and gotten one of Chilton’s old robes and tucked her hair under the hood and kept her head down. She looked back and saw that the door had a large plank of wood barring the door. That’s going to be heavy, she thought before turning her attention back to the front where the Bishop was flanked by two soldiers, one on foot and the other on a horse. She quietly slipped her way to an area as close as she could get to the door without being conspicuous.

When she heard a mighty crash at the door, she knew it was Matthew. She undid the bar and opened the door and before a guard could get his hands on her, Matthew rode in on his steed and struck him down.

***  
Matthew was immediately faced by Randall Tier, who was on a horse as well. After several passes, they were both knocked off their horses. Matthew recovered quicker and got on his feet. He slashed him across the chest, causing Randall to drop to the floor, dead.

It was only after he defeated Randall that he noticed that it had suddenly gotten darker and everybody was quiet. He looked up at the window where everybody including Hannibal was looking and realized that a solar eclipse was beginning. Everybody in the church gasped as the moon made its way across the face of the sun. It was only then that Matthew understood the true meaning of Chilton‘s vision. “Chilton . . . Chilton was right.” He must, he must get Will here now, Matthew thought. Once Will changes, he’ll know what to do.

An arrow hit the floor near Matthew’s feet. Matthew turned around and saw a man standing on the interior balcony of the church. Matthew raised his crossbow to fire at the man aiming at him from above and pressed the trigger. The arrow hit the man full in the chest and he fell backwards, entangling himself with the rope that rang the Cathedral’s bells. Matthew screamed when he heard the bells’ first peal.  
***  
Chilton looked at the bells ringing in the tower of the Cathedral. “Oh, no, this wasn’t supposed to happen! That‘s not what you showed me!” Chilton looked at the bird and lifted up the knife. “I am so sorry . . . I . . .” 

***  
“You kill me, you’ll never leave this city alive. It‘s still a crime to kill a Bishop, no matter how evil you think he is,” said Hannibal as he watched Matthew walk down the aisle towards him. “It would be a pity to leave Will by himself, don’t you think?”

“I don’t care. Will’s dead. Will’s . . .”

“Matthew!” 

Matthew turned to see Will standing at the door of the Cathedral with Chilton. Matthew turned to Hannibal, who could only stare at the man whose face he had dreamed of for the past two years. 

“Behold, your curse has failed! I’m human. Will is human! We’re both human. You no longer have power over us!” yelled Matthew. 

“Matthew!” said Will

“Will!” said Matthew, who reached out to him. 

Will said, “I just have one thing to show him then we can leave this accursed city together.”

Matthew turned to watch as Will stood before Hannibal. Will quietly held out the jesses used to tether a hawk to his master, then dropped them. He turned his back on Hannibal without a word and started walking away. Enraged, Hannibal lifted up his staff, a long and thin blade sprang from the end of it, and pointed it at Will's back. 

Seeing that the Bishop was about to run Will through from behind, Matthew threw his sword right through Hannibal’s chest. Pinned to the altar, Hannibal dropped his staff. Will ran to Matthew’s side and was about to say something when the whole church began shaking. 

Hannibal screamed as his robes burst into flames, his skin turning black and horns sprouting from his head. A chasm opened up in the church’s floor and claws reached for the horribly changed man and began dragging him down. Once he was below the floor, the chasm closed and his screams could no longer be heard. Only the stink of sulfur remained. After a few seconds of shocked silence, a murmur erupted from the crowd. News of this was guaranteed to spread about the demon Bishop and the knight who had risked his life to reveal him.

Matthew and Will turned to each other and embraced each other. “My love, my love,” cried Matthew as he swung Will around. 

“It’s finally over,” said Will.

They kissed each other to the applause of the priests who had gathered in the church. Chilton turned to Freddie. “Finally, a happy ending.”

“Not for the Bishop.”

“That goes without saying.”  
***  
Chilton and Freddie were on his cart, riding away from the city. “Is there anywhere you’d like to go? If you don’t have anywhere to go, you could stay with me, as long as you wanted,” said Frederick.

“I thought priests weren’t supposed to stick around women.”

“I’m a former priest.”

“Oh, I see,” said Freddie. She looked at Chilton with an appraising eye. He’s not hideous, she thought.

“I actually own the castle and the land it stands on. I’m a bit strapped for coin, however.”

“You don’t have to worry about that. I got my own stash,’ she said, showing two purses, one much larger than the other. 

“Where did you get those?”

“One is what I’ve been saving up to go elsewhere and the other I got from Matthew.”

Chilton’s eyes widened as he realized she was casually confessing to theft. “God preserve me.”

The End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally saw the movie again recently. I did quite a few things differently in this section from the movie canon. It's one of those movies that has its charms but you also feel compelled to tweak it a bit.

**Author's Note:**

> Freddie's nickname is based on the nickname of the thief character in Ladyhawke, which is Mouse, but I found her character to be grittier and nastier than his so I made it Rat.
> 
> I'm doing this mostly by memory.


End file.
